Use every tool in the toolbox. Technology for law school.

Antiquated. Out-dated. Old. Not things that are particularly associated with success yet I am frequently surprised by people that insist on doing thing the old way. Case and point, my Dad was one of the last people to go to dual screens in his office and finally relented after all of his kids insisted. Now he’d never go back. So I’ve started a list of my must haves for organization and productivity and am kicking off with the obvious.

Dual Screens

I picked up this HP Monitor for $100 on Amazon Prime Day. $100?!@#$ The best part is: it tilts! I went with two external monitors which makes 3 in addition to my laptop screen. I did splurge on a $200 4k resolution screen for my second screen but in all honestly it’s not much nicer than my $100 hp screen. With the Dual HDMI Adapter it was possibly the best money I’ve ever spent.

Wireless Mouse and Keyboard

You can pick up a wireless mouse and keyboard for very cheap. With my dual monitors, they’re both essential. I splurged on the Apple Magic Mouse, which has nice gestures and is rechargeable but my mom has a cheaper USB Mouse that works great. I also have a Bluetooth Keyboard for my tablet that was super handy when my laptop was on order.

Student E-Memberships

Don’t forget to check which companies give discounts to students and switch over. I immediately switched my Prime Account and saved money. I also switched my prime unlimited music account to a student account which costs $50 a year. $4.17 a month is less than I would normally spend buying individual songs and it works with my Echo. You can sign up for a free trial here.

Microsoft OneNote

Digital note taking apps are game changers. No more paper everywhere and disorganization. The best part is, if you’re looking for specific information, you can use the search bar instead of endlessly searching notes. Even if you have to handwrite class notes, you can take a picture of the notes with your phone and OneNote will search your handwritten notes for what you’re looking for. I am just switching over from Evernote and am planning a comparison a few months but the folks at reddit almost unanimously preferred OneNote and my school email is run via Outlook so it was a good fit. It’s so convenient, especially if you’re going from tablet to computer or have a commute where you can pull your phone up for a few minutes and study. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with OneNote yet, before school starts is a good time.

Smart Home Assistant

Alexa is my bff. It’s so convenient to have her quick set a reminder or play music and I love waking up to the news. They’re also really cheap if you catch them on one of many good sales. Echo Dot was just on sale for $17 for prime day where I picked up an Echo for $47, which has an awesome speaker.

In the Test Phase

A few months ago I splurged on a Samsung Galaxy Watch and have been liking it so far. It syncs with my phone and keeps me on schedule and connected. My trusty tablet will of course be available but I prefer to take notes on my laptop and am not sure how much I’ll use my Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 even though most reviews claim they’re super handy. Time will tell!

Have something you couldn’t live without? Send a message or leave a comment and I’ll give you a shoutout.